An Album Of 1991's Best In The Arts, Top Moments In Sports, Sound Off An On Wall Street

1991 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW - TELEVISION

December 29, 1991|By Greg Dawson, Sentinel Television Critic

For television, 1991 was a year in which none of the comedies and dramas hatched in Hollywood could match the spontaneous combustions, and productions, of real life.

- The Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Show: The confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas were the best miniseries of the year with socially redeeming merit.

- The William Kennedy Smith rape trial: The best trash miniseries of the year.

- Desert Storm: The best action series of the year.

- The break-up of the Soviet Union: The best sci-fi movie of the year, only it was real.

- Murphy gets pregnant: In a year when TV was obsessed with obstetrics, the biggest news was Murphy Brown's pregnancy and her decision to have the baby.

- Final exit for thirtysomething and China Beach: The cancellation of these and other series marked the end of an era (a short one) for quality drama on ABC.

- LBJ: A masterful documentary about the most tragic political figure of our time.

- Tongues Untied: Aired by PBS, this artful video essay by a gay black filmmaker was a lightning rod for an emerging debate over the use of public funds to support the arts.

- Northern Exposure: For many viewers, this whimsical meditation on life, love and the spirit world was the only proof that network TV was still relevant.

- The Home Front: Not to be confused with the sudsy ABC series Homefront, this Bill Moyers documentary focused prophetically on the crumbling of the American dream at home, even as U.S. troops liberated Kuwait.